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Masked men seize 2 Ukrainian warships in Crimea

March 20, 2014

Pro-Russian groups have seized two Ukrainian warships and Ukraine said its troops were being threatened in Crimea as the European Union considered new sanctions against Russia for its annexation of the Black Sea peninsula.

Tensions in the region remained high despite the release of a Ukrainian naval commander held by pro-Russian forces.

Shots were fired but there were no casualties as the Ukrainian corvette Khmelnitsky was seized in Sevastopol, according to an AP photographer at the scene. Another ship, the Lutsk, was also surrounded by pro-Russian forces.

In Geneva, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations warned of a sharp deterioration in relations between Ukraine and Russia, saying that Russia appears to be preparing for a military “invasion’’ in more areas of his country.

Men in unmarked uniforms and wearing masks seize the Ukrainian corvette Khmelnitsky.Photo: AP Photo/Andrew LubimovOfficers of the Ukrainian ship Lutsk raise a Russian naval flag after the vessel was seized by pro-Russian forces.Photo: AP Photo/Andrew Lubimov

Ambassador Yuri Klymenko said there were “indications that Russia is on its way to unleash a full-blown military invention in Ukraine’s east and south’’ since its annexation of Crimea.

He said his statement was based on information from non-governmental organizations.

Meanwhile, President Obama said the United States is levying a new round of economic sanctions on individuals in Russia, both inside and outside the government, in retaliation for the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine.

Obama says he has also signed an executive order that would allow the United States to sanction key sectors of the Russian economy.

The new penalties mark the second round of economic sanctions the United States has levied on Russia this week. The first round of penalties had little effect in stopping Moscow from annexing Crimea.

In an address to the German Parliament in Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU was readying further sanctions and that the G-8 forum of leading economies had been suspended indefinitely.

Russia holds the presidency of the G-8 and Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to host his counterparts, including Obama, at a G-8 summit in Sochi in June.

“So long as there aren’t the political circumstances, like now, for an important format like the G-8, then there is no G-8,’’ Merkel said.

“Neither the summit, nor the format.’’

Crew members stand with their possessions.Photo: AP Photo/Andrew Lubimov

The EU and the United States have slapped sanctions on individuals involved in what they say was Crimea’s unlawful referendum over joining Russia.

Moscow formally annexed Crimea earlier this week in the wake of the poll.

The Black Sea peninsula had been part of Russia for centuries until 1954, when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred it to Ukraine, and many residents are happy about rejoining Russia.

Russian forces effectively took control of Crimea some two weeks ago in the wake of the ouster of Ukraine’s pro-Russia president, Viktor Yanukovych, after months of protests and sporadic violence.

The crisis erupted late last year after Yanukovych backed out of an association deal with the EU in favor of a promised $15 billion bailout from Russia.

That angered Ukrainians from the country’s pro-European central and western regions.